Baby Steps Toward The Big Pivot
By Reagan Kelly and Wyndi Kappes
It takes real courage to choose a new life. The need to change things up may come from a big moment of inspiration, loss or just a million little things adding up, but the transformation itself requires bravery to take one baby step at a time toward your goals. Whatever the journey, we’re celebrating Atlantans who choose to rewrite their stories through acts of self-love and sharing their advice to help you take your first step toward a new, beautiful life.
Caren West—Finding Sustainable Success After a Wake-Up Call
In June of 2022, Caren West sat in a hospital room and attempted to use humor to cut the tension of a shocking diagnosis. “No one sat me down and told me I had a 50/50 chance to live, but I knew,” West says. “In that hospital room, stripped of noise, expectations and the need to make anyone else feel better, I made a decision that would change everything: if I was going to live, I was going to live on my own terms.” With her public relations firm in its 20th year, West knew she couldn’t repeat another chapter of urgency and overextension.
Recovery required learning how to walk again, literally and figuratively, but as she rebuilt her health step by step, she began to rethink how she wanted to live and lead. “I stopped measuring success by how much I could carry and started building something designed to last— without costing me my health,” West says. Incidentally, slowing down and being more intentional has led to even greater alignment in her leadership. “The business is stronger than ever—built on trust, clear roles and deep relationships rather than constant urgency. I personally lead with more clarity, mentor with more patience and choose how I show up instead of reacting to what’s expected of me. My someday became today when I realized that living meant choosing myself and trusting that everything I built could rise with me, not at my expense.
Her advice: Pay attention to what your body, your life and your work are already telling you. Brave change rarely announces itself. It shows up as a quiet knowing that something has to give. These changes are often the ones no one applauds, but they’re the ones that save you.
Sam Springfield—Stepping Into Sobriety
After a pivotal year of divorce, starting over and doing it all on her own, Sam Springfield realized she was capable of living a life fuller than the one she had been living. “Digging deep, I really realized that my worth was rooted in more than how many drinks I was having to be ‘fun’ and the life of the party,” Springfield says. Now six months sober, she’s excited to have grown into a better friend, partner and overall person. “I’m putting the time and energy into things that help me continue to grow into the person I know I was always meant to be.”
Her advice: Do it. Whatever lies on the other side of whatever scares you is absolutely worth it.
Erica Dias—Blooming Into Her Own
After over a decade of pouring energy into clients and brands through public relations, Erica Dias realized she was holding space for everyone else’s vision, at the expense of her own. “I recognized that I needed to create something that was just as nourishing for me as it was impactful for others,” Dias says. From this idea, Helen Florals was born. “It was a small but courageous act to trust my intuition, to lead with creativity instead of credentials and give myself permission to be a beginner again.”
Her advice: Listen to the whisper before it turns into burnout. Sometimes the bravest changes come from paying attention to what no longer feels aligned, even if it still looks good on paper.
Maggie Hudson—Embracing The Second Act, Midair
When Maggie Hudson first stepped foot into a stunt gym as the only 60-something person in the room, it was certainly humbling and scary. But after becoming an empty nester, Hudson wasn’t going to let a little fear hold her back from finally pursuing her stunt and acting dreams. “This chapter is about growth, not shrinking with age,” Hudson says, “Stunting has reawakened a part of me I didn’t realize I had put on hold. I feel stronger, more confident and more alive. Instead of focusing on aging, I’m focused on learning, improving and what’s still possible.”
Her advice: Don’t wait for the “perfect” time or permission. You’re not behind — you’re right on time for the version of you that exists now.
Christine Pay—Choosing Life After Loss
The insurmountable grief that came from losing her husband forced Christine Pay to look inward and ask herself hard questions about identity, love, aging and self-worth. “I realized that surviving wasn’t enough, I wanted to live,” Pay says. Today, Pay is celebrating her choice to rebuild and feel through small, brave acts: getting out of bed, facing the silence, learning who she is in a life she never planned to live alone. “At 56, I’ve stepped into a fuller, wiser version of myself— one that carries confidence, sensuality and presence. I stand taller, take up space and walk into rooms owning who I am.”
Her advice: Give yourself grace. Stop comparing who you are now to who you used to be. Aging, grief and change don’t diminish your beauty—they deepen it.
Claire Pearson—Returning to the Stage
“Sometimes the bravest thing you can do is return to something you once loved and allow it to look a little different,” says Claire Pearson, one half of the folk-rock duo The Ormewoods. When the pandemic brought her regular gigs to a halt, she quietly closed that chapter of her life. But recently she found the courage to step back into the spotlight at Eddie’s Attic. “Returning to the stage boosted my confidence and reminded me that growth often lives just on the other side of discomfort. Parts of us don’t disappear just because we put them down for a while.”
Her advice: You don’t have to feel “ready” to begin, you just have to be willing. Say yes before fear talks you out of it. Do the work and let people who believe in you pull you forward.
Rema R. Miller—Meeting Fear Head-On
Rema Miller has always strived to challenge people to beat their own failure by trying. But she began to realize that she wasn’t taking her own advice. “I began to feel like a fraud because I wasn’t walking the walk,” Miller says. “In order to be a more authentic version of myself, I’ve started challenging my fear of heights with Spartan Races.” Each race consists of 3.2 miles and 22 obstacles that have helped her overcome her lifelong fear and gain a new level of confidence in everyday life.
Her advice: Leaders not only know when to follow, but they also understand that success is measured by failing forward and embracing the obstacles and shortcomings.
Michelle Falconer—Claiming Her Story
After losing her younger sister, father and daughter, Michelle Falconer knew she had to translate her pain into purpose by releasing her book, “The Slayer Method”—the story of how she slayed her dragons and found a way out of the darkness. “By releasing this story, I am choosing honesty over perfection, allowing the truth of my losses, pivots and resilience to stand on its own,” Falconer says. “That decision marks my commitment to live, lead and create in full alignment.”
Her advice: Start with one honest step. Trust what you’ve survived and let alignment guide the rest.
